Nvidia planning its most affordable 50-series GPU yet – RTX 5050 reportedly launching in July with 8GB VRAM and 130W TDP

Nvidia's RTX 5050, expected to be the company's most affordable GPU this generation, is reportedly launching in July, claims VideoCardz. While the GPU's specifications leaked a while back, we now have a clearer idea of its release date. While other details such as pricing and performance have not been mentioned, it is expected that this GPU will fall into the sub-$300 price bracket.

After the contentious launch of the RTX 5060, Nvidia is apparently looking to wrap up its Blackwell portfolio next month with the RTX 5050. Since we never got to see a 50-class GPU last generation, the RTX 5050 serves as a true successor to the RTX 3050 from Ampere. However, while the G106 die on the RTX 3050 measured 276mm^2, GB207 for the RTX 5050 will be smaller than GB206, which spans 181mm^2.

Reiterating leaked specifications from Kopite, the RTX 5050 allegedly carries a fully-enabled GB207 die with 2,560 CUDA cores or 20 SMs, with four 32-bit memory controllers for a 128-bit interface, enabling 8GB of GDDR6 memory. Nvidia appears to be taking a page from its past with the RTX 5050, adopting a strategy similar to the GTX 1660 (GDDR5) and GTX 1660 Super (GDDR6), both of which shared the same TU116 die. This is because an older leak from Clevo suggests the RTX 5050 is also capable of supporting GDDR7 memory. Beyond cost considerations, the decision to use GDDR6 could be driven by insufficient performance scaling, particularly for such a pared-down GPU.

Details regarding the exact MSRP are currently in the dark, however, you can expect a price tag comparable to the RTX 3050, which launched at $249. Theoretically speaking, heavily VRAM-bound games may show similar FPS numbers across the RTX 5050, RTX 5060, and even the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, despite their apparent differences in compute power. This is one of the largest pitfalls of purchasing an 8GB card in 2025. However, for the budget-tier RTX 5050, this might be less of an issue given that it doesn't carry enough raw processing power that VRAM would otherwise constrain.

Nvidia is reportedly exploring denser GDDR7 modules for its upcoming RTX 50 Super refresh family, with the RTX 5080 Super poised to feature 24GB of VRAM. These 24GB (3GB) modules fundamentally provide 50% greater memory capacities over the same bus interface, meaning an RTX 5060 could in theory support 12GB instead of 8GB. However, there are no indications that Nvidia plans to announce any Super refresh models for its more affordable cards.

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